Astros Hope To Sign Luis Castillo

According to Ken Rosenthal, the Astros are looking to inject some OBP into their leadoff spot by signing second baseman Luis Castillo. He adds that not many teams are looking to fill second base via free agency, so the Mets might be the only team battling for Castillo.

Rosenthal rates Kaz Matsui and David Eckstein as the best second base alternatives behind Castillo. The Rockies are prepared to offer a two-year deal to Matsui but will move on if he wants too much. They can’t be thinking about offering more than $8MM, wouldn’t you say? Rosenthal says Matsui is not on the Mets’ radar because, well, they already gave him a shot.

As for Eckstein – his best bet financially may be to market himself as a shortstop. His estimated take is $6-7MM over two or three years, a figure that would be deemed pricey for second base.